United States History Student Edition

THE CRUSADES, 1096–1204 The Crusades set the stage for the era of European exploration, discovery, and colonization.

North Sea

ENGLAND

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London

Christian lands, c. 1000 Muslim lands, c. 1100 First Crusade, 1096–1099 Second Crusade, 1147–1149 Third Crusade, 1189–1192

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HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE R .

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Cologne

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Paris

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FRANCE

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PALESTINE

Jerusalem

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GEOGRAPHY CONNECTION 1. Spatial Thinking Describe the general locations of the Christian and Muslim lands. 2. Patterns and Movement How did the routes of the three Crusades differ?

the adventures of these early explorers. A collection of stories called The Thousand and One Nights included the tales of Sinbad the sailor. Although Sinbad is a fictional character, the stories are thought to be exaggerated versions of the actual experiences of Arab merchant seamen. A golden age of Muslim exploration began in the 800s C.E. and would last until the 1300s. The famous Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta journeyed an astonishing 75,000 miles in the 1300s. He traveled to all of the Muslim countries of his day, as well as Spain, Russia, India, and China. His book, Rihlah (“travels” in Arabic), is an invaluable look at the early Muslim world. The Crusades As Islam spread in the 900s and 1000s C.E., Muslim rulers took over lands that had been Christian for many years, including Syria, Egypt,

Turkey, and Palestine. Palestine was home to the Christian Holy Land, which included Jerusalem, where the religion’s founder, Jesus, had lived and taught. European Christians viewed Islam as a threat to their power and their religious dominance. Beginning in the year 1096, European Christians launched a series of military campaigns against Muslims in the Holy Land. These attacks, known as the Crusades, occurred in several phases and lasted until the late 1200s. The Crusades were ultimately unsuccessful for Christians hoping to reclaim the Holy Land permanently; however, they had other important effects. One result of the Crusades was that trade increased between Europe and Asia. New foods and goods came to Europe, including spices, silks, rice, and fruits like apricots and lemons. European interest in faraway places, and exploration, grew tremendously.

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Exploration and Colonization